Articles

I think I'm going to blame my parents. I grew up on the shore of Loch Ness in Scotland and they own a garden nursery, so I was permeated with plant names since day one, says specialist bird and nature guide Cat Davidson, of her early connection to nature.

Acclaimed writer Tim Winton grew up in suburban Perth. But the call of the bush and the ocean was just over the fence. That proximity to wild Nature left a lasting impression and a deep, unshakeable commitment to looking after it. We forget that we are all connected to Nature, he says.

For Friends of North Bruny Chair Simon Allston, his love of nature blossomed in his late teens, when his family moved to the bush and he was introduced to healthy eating and organic gardening. He has grown his own food ever since.

A lot of our music is very much to a beat that's super regular, and it feels quite grid-like. Through Nature, you can start to feel a pulse, writes Bruny Island composer and guitarist Julius Schwing. It's more like a cycle. The sound of Nature is as incredible as the visual aspect.

Benjamin Tacud is an irreplaceable figure in Panay's conservation community. His transformation to protector of the critically-endangered bird he once pursued, exemplifies the true spirit of conservation.

Growing up on Bruny Island was incredible. There's a strong community of people engaged in making art that is kind of born of the island. And a lot of people come here and it just ignites something in them to make art. Different art, Bruny art, writes resident composer and guitarist Julius Schwing.

Bruny Island is an amazingly special place. Someone once said to me that Bruny Island is a shining example of what Tasmania could be. And I just think that's so beautiful, says bird ecologist and guide Dr Catherine Young. The ecosystem here is so intact.

Bruny Island - an island, off an island, off an island - is home to a phenomenal array of wildlife, says specialist guide with Inala Nature Tours, Cat Davidson. It's not just the more well-known species; everywhere you go, everywhere you look, is teeming with biodiversity. For nature lovers, it's an island paradise.

"It's just a place that you feel very alive and you feel nature feeling very alive around you," says specialist guide with Inala Nature Tours, Cat Davidson of Bruny Island in southern Tasmania. It has amazing, diverse habitat types, specialist birds and animals and a strong community. It is home.

We will often be sent a wish list by someone before they even arrive on Bruny Island, Inala Nature Tours guide Cat Davidson says of visiting bird-watchers. Nearly every single time the critically-endangered swift parrot or the endangered forty-spotted pardalote is high on the list.

"I'm not proud that I've finished it, to be honest. I'm proud that I've survived it," says acclaimed Australian author Tim Winton of his new novel Juice. "...it seems to be unleashing a kind of picked-up feeling of frustration and rage at climate inaction." We catch up with Tim in Hobart during his book tour.

We pay our respects to Tasmanian conservation giant, Distinguished Professor Jamie Kirkpatrick, who passed away last month aged 78. Kuno's Dan Broun spoke with Jamie last year and we publish this interview to help remember him and honour his life and legacy.